RBSE Class 11 Political Science Notes Chapter 5 Legislature

These comprehensive RBSE Class 11 Political Science Notes Chapter 5 Legislature will give a brief overview of all the concepts.

RBSE Class 11 Political Science Chapter 5 Notes Legislature

→ Composition of the Parliament
The Union Legislature or the Parliament of India is a bicameral legislature. According to Art. 79 of the Constitution, there shall be Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses respectively, known as the Council of States and the House of the People. Council of States or the Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of the Parliament. It can have at the most 250 members in it. This is a permanent house. 1/3 of its members retire after every two years. Lok Sabha is the Lower House of the Parliament. It can have at the most 550 elected members. The members of the Lok Sabha are elected for 5 years. The President of India can dissolve the Lok Sabha on the advice of the Council of Ministers before the expiry of its term.

→ Features of the Indian Parliament
Following are the main features of the Indian Parliament:

• The Indian Parliament is a bicameral legislature.
• The Upper House of the Parliament is permanent.
• The Lower House of the Parliament can be dissolved before its expiry term.
• The membership of both the Houses is not equal. 
• The Parliament is the supreme law making body in India.
• Powers of both the Houses are not equal.
• Lok Sabha is more powerful than Rajya Sabha.

→ Functions of the Parliament
Following are the main functions and powers of the Parliament:

• The Parliament has the power to enact law for the whole of the country.
• The Parliament controls the cabinet which in turn is responsible to the Parliament.
• The Parliament controls the finance of the State and passes the budget.
• The Parliament formulates national and foreign policies of the country.
• The Parliament can remove the judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
• The elected members of the Parliament participate in the election of the President.
• The Parliament enjoys certain judicial powers and can make amendments in the Constitution.

→ Parliament Control over Council of Ministers
The Parliament controls the executive in the following ways:

• The Prime Minister and the other ministers are taken from the Parliament and after becoming ministers, they remain the members of the Parliament. They participate in the meetings of the Parliament.
• The ministers are responsible to the Parliament for their actions and policies.
• The members of the Parliament can ask the ministers any questions regarding the functioning of the administration. The ministers are to give a satisfactory reply to all these questions.
• The members of the Parliament by introducing ‘Adjournment Motion’ can invite the attention of the government to a serious problem or event.
• The Cabinet continues to remain in office according to the wishes of the Lok Sabha. It can seek the removal of the Cabinet by passing a no-confidence motion against or by rejecting an important government bill by passing resolution for reducing the salary of a particular minister.

→ Speaker of Lok Sabha
The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha. He is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha from among themselves. The Speaker presides over the meetings of the House; maintains order in the House and conducts the business of the House in accordance with the Rules of the House. The Constitution also provides for the office of the Deputy Speaker.